Daily Meditation Routine

Daily Meditation Routine To Slow Down Your Mind

"Meditation opens the mind of the greatest mystery that takes place daily and hourly; it widens the heart so that it may feel the eternity of time and the infinity of space in every throb; it gives us a life within the world as if we were moving about in paradise and all these spiritual deeds take place without any refuge to doctrine, but by the simple and direct holding fast to the truth which dwells in our innermost being."

To enjoy the benefits of meditation, you need the right meditation techniques as well as consistent practices. The following steps are recommended as a simple daily meditation routine you can practice to start slowing down your mind:

1. Ideally, you should meditate for at least fifteen minutes a day. Also, you should try to meditate at the same time each day to help create a sense of ritual.
2. Find a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. You can lie down or sit with your back straight and without crossing your arms or your legs.
3. You can play soft music if you'd like, or light a candle. Anything ritualistic helps signal to your brain that it's time to slow down. In addition, certain music, such as Baroque music, helps induce the Alpha state.
4. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Awareness of the breathing process is itself sufficient to slow down your breathing rate. Let your abdomen move upward on inhalation and downward on exhalation.
5. Become relaxed and enter the alpha frequency by associating numbers with each state. Number 6 is the outer conscious level, number 5 is eyelid fatigue, number 4 is eyes closed and ready to relax, number 3 is physical relaxation, number 2 is mental relaxation, and number 1 is the alpha level.
6. To relax even more, count backwards slowly from 50 to 1, and feel yourself relaxing more and more with each number. You can also imagine a warm, gentle light entering through the top of your head and moving slowly down toward your toes, relaxing your body completely.
7. Picture a peaceful setting. It can be the beach, the mountains, a lake, or any place that makes you feel calm and serene.
8. Continue to concentrate on your breathing. If your mind wanders, simply bring it gently back to the present moment and refocus on your breath. It often helps to repeat a simple phrase to help keep you focused, such as the Zen saying: "Simply being with what is."
9. Once you feel a sense of calm, you can begin the process of inner listening. You can also use this time to silently repeat your positive affirmations and/or to practice creative visualization.
10. When you're ready to come out, tell yourself that when you open your eyes at the count of 5, you will be completely awake and alert, feeling better than before.

Many people find it difficult to quiet their minds with the above "breathing meditations" method. It requires focus, consistent practice and regular learning from trails and error, to fully master the skill of entering the Alpha state.